Typical Victoire
by love from elysium
Summary: Teddy has recently finished his seventh and final year at Hogwarts. Now it's summer and time to enjoy the beautiful beach at Shell Cottage. However, ever since Teddy graduated, he feels as if Victoire is avoiding him. Why is she being so cold? One night after dinner with the family he finds out.


Prompts:

ACTION:a character must hug someone/something

DIALOGUE:"Stop it, please!"

SONG: Cha Ching, Imagine Dragons

Typical Victoire

Before Teddy could see anything, he smelt the salty air and heard the rush of the waves that lapped at the sand in front of Shell Cottage. He and Harry had just Apparated outside of the home, Teddy a few meters farther away. Harry headed towards the door but Teddy stopped to remove his sneakers and socks without untying the laces. The familiar feeling of damp sand between his toes accompanied each step took, throwing sand behind him in his tread. Harry had let himself into the cottage leaving the door open behind him for Teddy. He was a fair deal taller than his godfather now at eighteen and the hallway was crowded with both of them in it so they moved quickly into the kitchen.

" 'Ello 'arry! Teddy!" said Fleur, not looking away from the onion she was chopping while three or four other tasks were being accomplished around the kitchen on their own. (The pot was stirring itself.) She worked in front of the open window that caused both her hair and the cornflower curtains to swirl and dance. "Bill won't be 'ome until later unfortunately. They needed 'im to stay late but 'e said 'e will try to come in time for dinner."

"Don't worry about it. They've been overworking him lately haven't they?Ginny also said that she might come by after she gets the kids ready for bed."

Fleur laughed lightly. "Well I wish 'er luck with that. Victoire said that when she babysat last weekend that James was still on his broom until after dark. She couldn't get 'im to come down."

"He likes to fly. That's for sure," Harry answered. He was not quite able to disguise the pride in his voice. "He's actually staying over at Ron and Hermione's tonight, though. Just Albus and Lily are home."

Fleur put the knife down on the counter and dried her long fingers on a tea towel. She looked to Teddy smiling kindly.

"So are you 'appy to be done school?" She asked.

"Yes and no," he answered without having to think about it.

"I guess it won't really seem like you aren't going back until September comes."

He just looked at Harry who smiled reassuringly. Teddy wandered through the kitchen into the living room, the largest room of the little cottage. Like the rest of the home, this room had a colour scheme of sea foam greens and wispy blues. It was Teddy's favourite room because of the large bay window that looked out towards the ocean. Victoire was sprawled across the length of it on her stomach. Inches from her nose she had a paperback book balanced between fingers so much like those of her mother's. Its pages looked bloated from having once been waterlogged. The Weasley in her hair was evident with the sun coming in and illuminating red in the blond tresses. But she was oblivious to her own beauty as she frowned at the words on the page with pursed lips.

Teddy strode over to her and pretended to sit on her.

"Ahh, Teddy!" There was annoyance in her voice as he had just interrupted her.

"Hello!"

"Can you get off me, please?"

"Hmmm, Let me think about it."

"Teddy!"

"Hmmm, I don't know."

"Teddy stop it, please. I'm not in the mood."

"No kidding, grouchy," he said, getting up. "I thought you'd be happy to see me."

"What's it been, four days since you were over?"

"Well, come on. Move over then," Teddy went on ignoring this last comment.

"I was here first."

"It's my favourite spot, too! There's room for both of us."

She bent her knees so the soles of her feet faced the ceiling giving Teddy a meager amount of space to sit before dropping her legs back into his lap.

"What are you reading?"

"A book."

"No, really? I would have never guessed."

She said nothing.

"What book, Vic?"

She sighed loudly. "I'm not telling."

"Why not?"

"It's a muggle book and you'd laugh at me."

"Okay well then can we-"

"Shhhh! It's getting to my favourite part!"

"You've read it before?" It was a stupid question based off of the condition of the book. Victoire merely nodded.

"Yes, obviously. Don't be daft."

"Don't be cold!"

Again, she didn't answer.

"Vic?"

"Stop, Teddy! I just want to read right now, okay?"

Teddy's eyes narrowed. "Sorry, I thought you would have wanted to spend some time together. You know, like we usually do."

He lifted her legs off his lap and walked out of the room. Teddy decided to go the only place he really could (not wanting to go back to the kitchen and talk about "his future" with Fleur and his godfather), which was outside on the sandy shore.

The soothing consistent sound of lapping waves helped to settle the slight anger that had been rising in him set off by Victoire. He had known her to be moody but on this occasion it seemed it was he himself that had her in a state. Though Teddy had finished his last year of Hogwarts not even a week ago, while at school Victoire had been part of his close group of seventh year friends and had been for years. She had a maturity and wicked sense of humour that far exceeded that of the students her own age so fortunately she had older friends who suited her better. Teddy on the other hand, was predictably immature though he was unlikely to see this quality in himself. Like most boys his age, he found crude jokes enormously funny and sometimes needed to be reminded of his manners. However, aside from these qualities, Teddy was different from his father in the way that he was an outgoing person and frequently made a character out of himself in classes. Additionally, his easy handsomeness brought him a natural but not coveted popularity at the school. Sometimes he did or said things he didn't mean but it was clear to all that met him that Teddy wouldn't hurt a nargle.

Perhaps these qualities suggested that he had not indeed been ready to graduate from Hogwarts. But ready or not, he had finished his seventh year and had been tossed out into the real world mostly unprepared. Despite a foggy future and perhaps as a testament to his immaturity, Teddy lay on his back in the sand sulking over the fact not that he didn't have a career goal but that Victoire had chosen an old book over his company. The sun had started to sink behind the rampant water and Teddy was bored by himself. Usually during the time before dinner he and Victoire would come out to play Gobstones. A game that, due to its unpopular stigma, they chose not to play at school for fear of being laughed at and made fun of. But, with the privacy of Shell Cottage they thoroughly enjoyed playing together. Victoire's competitive side was much more vicious than his, however.

This evening, though, he lay in the sand, waiting to be called in for dinner. After ten minutes the warmth started to make him feel sleepy. Teddy's eyelids felt heavy and his confusion over Victoire was slipping away as his thoughts grew farther and farther from him.

"Teddy, come inside! Supper is on the table!" Fleurs' french accent carried out to him on a gust of sea air just in time to save him from sleep.

"Coming!" He got up and dusted the damp sand from his pants and the back of his flannel shirt. When he made it to the table, five of the six places were already accounted for. Bill and Ginny had made it after all and the only open seat was right across from Victoire. She had brought her book to the table and was holding it in front of her face. As Teddy took his place he was very careful not to bump her knees. He didn't want to give her any reason to scowl at him.

When Fleur came to the table with the dishes she had prepared she scolded her daughter lightly telling her to put her book away and that it was rude to read at the table when there was company.

"They're not company, mum. They're family. There's a distinct difference," Victoire argued putting the book aside nonetheless.

For Teddy, dinner was awkward and he was relieved when it had finished half an hour later. Victoire was acting so strange around him. In the past they had never had any tension between them. He had always felt relaxed in her presence. They were comfortable together in the way that siblings might be, had Teddy had a sibling. But the closeness went before that. Tonight though, he avoided her gaze despite being able to sense her eyes so firmly planted on him when she believed he wasn't paying attention.

He was the first to leave the table. Teddy headed straight back out to the beach. By now the sun had almost disappeared, a red lobe being lowered deeper and deeper as if on a string. It cast long shadows in the sand. And that is what he notice first before he even saw her; Victoire's shadow in the sand beside his own.

"Hey, look how tall we are," she said lightly,gesturing to the shadows.

"Oh, so now you're nice to me again."

"Sorry."

"What was all that tonight, Vic? We're never like that around each other. I feel like you've been avoiding me since we finished school."

"I know. I..."

"Did I say something that upset you because if I did you usually lay it out for me. You don't just start ignoring me. And what was that at dinner?"

"No, it's nothing you did, Teddy. I promise. It's just me. I'm being stupid."

"Well what is it?" Teddy still sounded annoyed but now his interest was piqued. Victoire though was still of a moment. She looked at the water and then looked at Teddy which seemed to encourage her.

"I'll be honest. I'm...I'm a bit scared."

"Of what?" Any bad feeling Teddy had been reserving for her washed away.

"Well." Her fingers were rolling and unrolling to bottom of her shirt as she fought with herself. "You graduated a couple of days ago. So did the rest of our friends. You're not going back to Hogwarts in September. I have two more years left, though, and if you aren't there..." She gave Teddy a disheartened look. "I just don't know what I'll do without any friends there."

Teddy couldn't help but feel relieved. If this was what had put a wrench in between them he was sure he could fix it.

"You have other friends in your own year, Vic. They'll get you through the next two years."

"Yes, but they're not my real friends. They're not my _best_ friends."

"Well, you still have us! Hell, if you don't think I'm going to be here every day this summer than you have another thing coming, miss!"

Victoire laughed her high full laugh. "Yes, well, Harry says that you have to get a job."

"Pshhhfft! Jobs and work can wait! Until September at least. You can't shake me that easily, Weasley. I'm here to stay, even when you won't want me."

"I'll always want you, Lupin."

"And _I'll _remember you said that," he pulled her into side, hugging her to him.

"I don't know what I was thinking ignoring you these last few days and being a brat earlier. I guess I just thought that if I could push you away now it wouldn't be as hard in September when I have to go back."

"_Have_ to go back? You _get_ to go back! Hogwarts is great, Victoire. You know that. But you better not spend the next two years moping about feeling sorry for yourself. You'll see me- _us_ all at Christmas and Easter and I'll write to tell you everything that's happening and-"

She laughed. "Okay! Okay! I get it! I'll miss you but..."

"But you'll make it through, promise."

They brought themselves into a proper hug as the last rays of sun sunk bellow the waves of the horizon. Victoire really had to stretch to reach her arms around Teddy's neck.

"Okay, carry me inside now, mister. It's getting cold." She clung her legs around his waist.

Teddy sighed, rolling his eyes but obliging. "Typical Victoire."


End file.
